


Thrush

by ThatYellowFinch



Series: It Came From Beyond The Source Wall [3]
Category: DC Animated Universe, DCU (Comics), Gotham Academy (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Continuity What Continuity, Gen, New 52
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-05 14:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10310474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatYellowFinch/pseuds/ThatYellowFinch
Summary: Maps loves mystery, and there's one she's been dying to solve. But when she gets a little to close for Batman's comfort she might get a little more than she bargained for. Not that she's complaining exactly.





	1. Prologue

          Damian was in big trouble, and he knew it. He had underestimated one of his friends, given her too many clues to latch onto. She was close, too close, and his dad had noticed. He could easily, if he wanted to, drive her to a different conclusion, throw her a red herring. It’s what his Father wanted him to do. But Damian...Damian was not so sure. She had potential, she could be great as a vigilante with a little training. Just because Batman refused to see it doesn’t mean Damian couldn’t. The problem was convincing Father to agree to this. For once, Damian admitted he needed Drake’s help. No one was better at manipulating Batman than Red Robin. He wasn’t expecting a yes but it was worth a shot.

          “I think it’s a good idea.” What?

          “I was honestly expected you to turn the idea down.” Damian admitted.

          “If she can find out who Batman is on her own, and if you think she’s capable enough, I think we should train her. It’s how I got into all this, after all.” Tim explained. “We just have to run this past Bruce. I think I can get him to say yes, though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small blurb and teaser for an upcoming part of It Came From Beyond The Source Wall. I need to start setting this up for later chapters in my Teen Titan's fic. The next chapter will be a lot longer and a lot more involved.


	2. Chapter 1

          Gotham lived on mystery. The mystery of Batman. The mystery of the Court of Owls. The various mysteries at Gotham Academy. Maps Mizoguchi lived for these mysteries. She longed to crack each and every mystery wide open. And she was close to one of them. She hadn’t shared this one with the Detective Club, keeping it close to her chest. This wasn’t one for the entire group. This one was her mystery to solve. The mystery of just who Batman was. She was almost entirely certain she was right. The batarang given to her by Damian. The fact that Damian had a grappling gun. Bruce Wayne’s unexplained interest in Olive’s life and education. Why else would a rich party boy be interested in the daughter of Calamity? It was all so obvious! She just couldn’t prove any of it yet. Everything she had was circumstantial and there was no way to prove any of it. Bruce Wayne had been accused of being Batman before, but always seemed to wiggle his way out of it.  And then the invitation from Damian came. Dinner at the Wayne Manor. Perfect! And if she was wrong she still got to spend the night with one of her best friends in one of the coolest places in Gotham. Either way, she wins.  
          Dinner hadn’t even started yet when Bruce Wayne got a call and had to leave the room. And then Damian forgot something he had to do and left as well. Suspicious but ok. It gave her a chance to explore. The manor was huge, but it wasn’t bigger than the Academy and she had solved many mysteries there. If there was something here she was determined to find it. Damian had left her near the study, good of place as any to start. She did her best to make it look like she was just curious, not like she had a purpose to her snooping in the desk and the book case. After all, there was still the butler to have to worry about. If she got caught who knows how well her excuses would work. She continued working through her options, the obvious places out of the way she turned to the less obvious. Running her hands along the wall, looking for any sort of hidden switches in the wallpaper; and then her hands brushed against a draft. Odd. She retraced her steps until the draft hit her fingers again. Right near the clock.  
          She took a step back and examined the clock closer. It was broken it seemed. There was no tick, no movement of the gears, and the time was all wrong. She could feel the excitement rising. Was it a coincidence? Why would Bruce Wayne have a broken clock? Why would there be a draft behind it. She pulled at the clock but it refused to budge. She searched for a hidden button or switch but found none. Last ditch effort, she pried the glass cover to the clock face and spun the hands. Over seven hundred possible combinations. She wouldn’t have enough time to try them all. So what was it? By sheer, blind, dumb, luck the hands found their way to 10:47 and the clock slid aside. Maps’s heart jumped at the sight of the secret passage. She nearly cried out in victory but slapped a hand to her mouth just in time. She did it! She was right! She could barely contain the excitement, bouncing in place as she fought the urge to steal down the steps. It was too much. She couldn’t fight it. She raced down the stairs, taking them steps two at a time as the entrance closed behind her. She had heard rumors of a Batcave, where Batman went when he wasn’t kicking ass, but she never thought it’d be an actual cave!  
She wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when she got down here. Extra security? A big scary Batman waiting to turn her on her heels? A cake that said “Congratulations!”? Ok that last one wasn’t very likely. She wasn’t expecting to find Red Robin waiting for her as though he completely expected her to come sauntering down the stairs, not that she had much time to really question it as the full intensity of the batcave hit her all at once. This place was huge! She had to resist the urge to take her phone out for pictures, especially once she spotted the Batmobile. And then what Red Robin said caught up to her.

          ”Well done.” He clapped. “You’re smarter than Damian lets on.”

          “Wait. You mean you’re not mad? You expected me to find the cave? I thought Batman would, like, blow a gasket the second he found out what I did.”  
“He probably would have if I hadn’t set all this up.” Tim’s smile widened somewhat. “Damian told me how good you were at solving all the little mysteries that like to crop up around Gotham Academy. And he told me that you always liked to go looking for trouble. I know a vigilante when I see one. So I asked the Big Bad Bat to let me test you. If you could find the Batcave all on your own, I’d get to ask you a very, very important question.”

          “He probably would have if Damian and I hadn’t set this all up.” Red Robin’s smile widened somewhat. “Damian told me how good you are at solving all the little mysteries that like to crop up around Gotham Academy. And, he told me that you always liked to go looking for trouble. I know a vigilante when I see one; so, I asked the Big Bad Bat to let me test you. If you could find the Batcave all on your own, I’d get to ask you a very, very important question.”  
So she was right! Damian was Robin. Bruce Wayne was Batman. She could already feel the pride start to swell in her chest when Red Robin continued. “Me a vigilante?” Her eyes went wide at the prospect. Swinging from rooftops, busting crooks, fighting for truth, justice, and the American way. Ok, that last one was a little Superman not Batman but still! “Just like that?”

          “The thing is, Maps. You found out who Batman is, even before you found the cave I’m sure you had plenty of evidence leading you to it. You didn’t get here by accident. That isn’t something just anyone can do. And, if what Damian tells me is true, you’re going to get into a lot of trouble on your own. I want to make sure you’re trained to deal with any trouble you jump into.” He explained a little further, crossing the room to her. “I’d like to take you on as my protege.” He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder and Maps could feel the world zero in on her. Her. A vigilante? A hero. “Do you accept?”

          “Yes!” Without a second thought she blurted her answer. This was everything she had been dreaming off, everything she wanted from the minute she saw Robin flying across the sky when she was younger.

          “Then sneak out through the tunnels under the school tomorrow. I’ll pick you up there.” He smiled, patting her shoulder. “Oh, and, I don’t think I need to tell you but, do not tell anyone what you learned tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been updating this or my Teen Titan's fic. I'm waiting to see if the comics are going to ruin my plot so I'm trying to write something that is less likely to be destroyed by current story lines.

          Maps had never been out at night on her own, the moon shining down on her as she waited near one of the entrances into the underground tunnels that criss-crossed the entire school. It was exciting to say the least. Exciting, and maybe slightly terrifying. Every time before she had friends with her. Kyle, Pom, Colton...Olive. It was different when she was alone. The noises were louder, the night felt colder. She didn’t like it but she wasn’t backing down now. She waited for what felt like an hour before she saw headlights in the distance, turning off the far road and into the forest towards her. In another minute a motorcycle came skidding to a stop in front of her, Red Robin pulling his helmet off.

          “Wouldn’t it have just been easier to meet me in Gotham somewhere?” She asked.

          “Less eyes out here.” He handed her a helmet. “Climb on, we’ve only got so much time.”

          “My brother says bikes aren’t safe.”

          “Smart brother. You know what else isn’t safe?”

          “Wanting to be a vigilante?” She answered.

          “Exactly.”

          Well, she couldn’t exactly argue with that logic. No more arguing or stalling, they started for Gotham as Maps clung onto his back in fear of falling off. She couldn’t help but watch as the city flew by at rates she had never seen as Red Robin swerved in and out of traffic, speeding between cars that were stopped at lights, until he turned into an alley and sped up. Maps screamed as the brick wall came closer and closer until she couldn’t watch anymore and squeezed her eyes shut, clinging tighter onto him. And then...they stopped.

          “You can let me go now.” Red Robin said, gently moving her hands.

          Maps slowly opened her eyes, taking the helmet off as she took in what just happened. “We’re not dead?”

          “Not quite yet?” He offered her a hand off the bike. “Welcome to the Robin’s Nest. My own personal Batcave.”

          Maps looked around in awe, taking the entire place in. There was technology in here she never would have even imagined. Surely this is where good gadgets went when they died. Some sort of technological heaven. “I love it.” She grinned, trying to hold her excitement in and not try to play with everything in sight.

          “Glad you approve.”

          “But why are we here instead of the Batcave?”

          “Bats wants you out of his hair until I can assure him you’re field ready.” He gestured for her to follow and led her to a work out area. “I know you’ve got the brains but there’s more to this than just being smart.” He stopped at a treadmill.

          “This is it?”

          “For now. You’re going to run for as long as you can, and after that you’re going to run some more.”

          “Run? Just run?”

          “Well, the machine is programed to change speeds and elevation at random intervals so you’re going to be challenged in both speed and endurance.”

          Maps could feel her legs throbbing at the thought but she wasn’t backing down at the very first challenge. She could do this. She could do this. She just had to keep repeating that to herself. With a deep breath she stepped into place and pressed the start button, the treadmill starting at a mere walk but quickly turning into an all out sprint. She kept up though and didn’t even notice as Red Robin stepped away to his computers.

          He left her to it, occasionally checking the cameras to make sure she hadn’t passed out while he wasn’t looking. She was keeping up better than he thought, sweating and panting, but still running. It had been five minutes which is about when an average human who works out very little would tap out. She was starting to stumble, struggling now but still running. She was more determined than he originally thought. He wondered how long that was going to last. Another thirty seconds passed and he looked back over to the screen just in time to see her lose her footing and crashing into the still moving conveyer.

          “Ouch.” He cringed as she was shot back and rolled onto the padded gym floor. He was immediately up to check on her, helping her pick herself up. 

          “How’d I do?” She panted, carefully rubbing the scratch on her cheek. It wasn’t the only scrape from her little tumbling she could feel her elbows and knees stinging.

          “Good. Let’s go get you some water and then you can take a break.”

          He let her drink some water and rest for several minutes, letting her regain her breath, as he checked the data recorded by the treadmill. It was basically what he expected, which was good because it meant he didn’t have to change his plans for her training too much. “You feeling up for round two?” He asked once the water bottle he had given her was empty. She didn’t look excited at the prospect, the initial thrill of hero training wearing off, but she still nodded and stood up to try again.

          Another few hours on and off the treadmill, her times getting lower until she barely lasted thirty seconds before giving up. She was tired, worn out, sore, and struggling to stay standing. One AM Tim called it, taking his car, Red Bird, and driving her back to where he picked her up. She was obviously exhausted, dozing in and out of sleep on the way there. When they finally stopped he made sure she made it into the tunnels safely and tracked her progress via a conveniently placed GPS until she was back in the dorms. Good. Safely home. One night done.


	4. Chapter 4

          Everything was sore. From the moment she woke up she could feel the stabbing pain in her entire body. Moving hurt but staying in bed all day wasn’t an option. With another few groans and whines she managed to roll out of bed, dragging the covers onto the floor with her. Today was going to be awful, she could already tell.

          “You look like you got ran over.” Katherine frowned at her from across the room.

          “I feel like it.” But she managed to get further out of bed, dragging herself to the closet to grab a clean uniform.

          “What happened? You got in super late last night. Detective club things?”

          “Not quite.” Maps shrugged the question off, pretending nothing truly weird was happening. “Just went exploring on my own. The others get in the way of my map making.” She finished getting dressed as quickly as she could, trying to avoid any more questions before she rushed out the door. “Catch you later!” One bullet dodged, let’s just hope the rest of her friends don’t try interrogating her. Oh, who are you kidding, Maps, they’re the Detective Club. Of course they’re going to question you! Better think of a cover story quick. They have no way of knowing you were out all night- except maybe Tristen because he likes to fly around at night- but they will notice you being all stiff. Slept wrong? No, wrong kind of stiff. Tried too hard at PE? No, they all know that’s not your style. Why not the truth? It’s not like they’ll believe you anyways. They’ll probably just pass it off as a joke and move on. Yes! Good plan!

          She skidded to a stop at the end of the cafeteria line, standing on her tiptoes in an attempt to see what was for breakfast. She hoped it was waffles she was starving! Ooooh or quiche, quiche was nice too. Unfortunately, all that waited for her at the end of the line was a bowl of disappointment. Cereal and milk. At least they put the good cereal out today. She finished grabbing her food, adding an orange to her plate for good measure, before joining Olive and the others at a table.

          “Mornin’.” She greeted as she tried to stifle a yawn.

          “You look like you didn’t get any sleep last night.” Olive frowned.

          “Yeah, I was out all night training to be a superhero.” Let’s hope truth was the best lie.

          “Very funny.” Olive chuckled, turning back to her own breakfast. “You should try and get more sleep.”

          Bingo. Worked like a charm. Charisma check passed. Now she could continue her breakfast without worrying about them finding out her secret. She wished she could tell Olive but she wasn’t going to risk getting kicked out of the hero club after her first night. Maybe once she becomes Gotham’s best hero she can tell her and she can be her sidekick or something. Or, which was more than likely, Olive wouldn’t want anything to do with the hero lifestyle given her past experiences...best not think about that now.

          The first bell rang and Maps scarfed down the rest of breakfast, leaving the cafeteria with her friends in a rush to make it to first period. The day dragged on longer than any other school day that Maps had ever experienced. The only thing pulling her through was a text from Red Robin to meet him at the same place, same time, tonight. More hero training! Hopefully tonight will be more than just a treadmill. Hopefully tomorrow she won’t feel like her legs and stomach were turned to jelly.

          She made it through the day and by the time the sun had set she was practically racing through the underground tunnels. Red Robin was already waiting for him on his bike, helmet ready for her.

          “So when do I get a nifty bike?” She asked, climbing on behind him.

          “Do you know how to drive?” He asked with a knowing smile.

          “No.”

          “Then you’re not getting a nifty bike.” And with that they were driving off back towards the city.

          Maps wasn’t quite satisfied with that answer. “What about my superhero name? Or costume?” She called over the wind gushing by them.

          “Let’s get you trained before I start equipping you to fight bad guys.”

          That didn’t make her any happier. When they pulled into the Robin’s Nest she was almost dreading whatever he had planned for the night. “So, what? You’re just going to keep smuggling me out of school until you think I’m ready?”

          “Summer vacation is coming up right?” He asked, leading her back towards the training area.

          “Yeah, in a couple weeks. My parents were going to take my brother, Olive, and I out of state for the first week.”

          “Not anymore.”

          “What?”

“I’ll explain more once I have more. For now-” He stopped by the pull-up bar. “You’re going to show me what you can do with this.”

          “Pull-ups?”

          “Yup.”

          “I can do one...on a good day.”

          “Then do one, and hold it for as long as you can.”

          Maps sighed. This sounded fun. At least it wasn’t a night long of running. She rubbed her hands together, jumped, pulled, and held. It wasn’t even a full second before she went crashing down onto the training mat.

          “Anything hurt?” Red Robin asked with a slight smirk, leaning against the pull up bar.

          “Only my pride.”

          “Get up. Try again, and then we’re going to work on doing more than one.”

          If anything was clear by the end of the night, it’s that pull ups were not her strong suit. Her arms were screaming at her to stop but Red Robin kept pushing. It was getting harder and harder to even reach for the bar let alone lift her entire body up onto it but if he kept pushing she’d keep trying until he finally called for a break and she collapsed onto the mat in a heaping pile of sweat and labored breathing. “Cool-” breathe- “I’m just gonna-” breathe- “stay here.” She managed to sputter out, closing her eyes as she tried to ignore the sore throbbing in her arms. She didn’t hear Red Robin walk off but when she opened her eyes again there was a water bottle next to her and Red Robin was back at his computer. Had she fallen asleep? It’s entirely possible given just how exhausted she actually was.

          She scrambled to her feet, grabbing the water bottle, and immediately regretted moving so quickly as her body seemed perfectly content with laying on the mat. She ignored the pain and moved to lean against the back of his chair. “Did I fall asleep?”

          “Only for a little while. I decided to let you sleep while I figured out our summer plans.”

          “Our?”

          “More specifically yours. Because you go to a boarding school it’s hard to find enough time to train you in any sort of efficient way. School breaks and weekends are going to be our best times until you get license and I can get you your own bike.” He explained, not looking up from his screen. “So, I’m trying to figure out a program the Wayne Foundation has that I can hide you in so your parents don’t get suspicious with you being gone for the entire summer.”

          “The entire summer?”

          “It took me three months of straight training before Bruce let me out in the field when I was Robin. I had the benefit of parents who never thought twice when I wasn’t around.”

          “Sounds bad.”

          “It was. But, I’m assuming your parents actually care about where you are and what you’re doing. I can’t train you much during the school year so we have to double down on the school breaks.”

          Sounds...fun...she was really looking forward to that vacation with Olive and her family. He had a point though. “So, you’ve got a plan then?”

          “I think I do. There’s a summer program for young gifted students. The idea is to send you all off to a summer camp for, not only fun in the sun, but also for extra learning. I’m going to mail a permission slip to your parents for it tomorrow. It’ll have all the information they need to make sure you’re safe and where you should be.”

          “And by that, of course, you mean it’s going to have a phone number that’ll redirect them to you so you can lie to them about where I am.”

          “You catch on quick.” He chuckled. “You’re going to have to get used to lying to them if you want to keep this up.”

          She wasn’t happy about that either, to be perfectly honest. This hero thing was turning out to be a lot harder, and a lot worse, than she thought it would be and it was only her second day. “So I go to get on the bus for the camp and instead you pick me up and I spend the entire summer here.”

          “That’s the plan.” Red Robin looked up from his computer, watching her expression carefully before turning his chair so he could face her proper. “This seems as good a time as any for you to back out.” He told her. “No one will blame you. This isn’t exactly a good life to live, despite what some people think.”

          She was silent for a second, hesitating to answer. “No. I want to do this.”

          He gave her a soft smile. "Lying to your parents is going to get really taxing and really draining. You're going to want to drop everything and tell them more times than you're going to care to count. This isn't going to be easy." He sighed, his smile fading slightly. "I don't want you to tell me you're okay with this unless you are absolutely sure about it. Take some time and think about it."

          “I’ve wanted to be a hero ever since I saw Batman and Robin running on rooftops when I was six. I’m not sure how much time I need to think about it.”

          That earned a laugh. "Just making sure you know know what to expect."

          She nodded as he turned back to his computer, an awkward silence falling over the two as she processed what he was saying. He was right, of course, this was dangerous. But so was what she had been doing for the last year at Gotham Academy. She hadn’t faltered she faced secret societies and Court of Owl monsters. She wouldn’t do so now. She had always assumed it would be dangerous, she just wasn’t expecting to have to choose between this and spending time with the people she loved. “What about your family? You said your parents never thought twice but what about your friends?”

          Tim snickered. "What friends?" He let the sentence hang in the air for a moment before giving her an honest answer. "Honestly? It was easy enough to hide it from them. I'd been keeping secrets from them ever since I met them. The hardest was my girlfriend. It-... The late nights, and the sleep deprivation, and the secrets... It cost me the relationship." He shook his head. "It's a struggle. There's a reason almost all my close friends are part of the Hero gig. That way I don't have to worry about hiding things from them."

          She had asked him about his family though. "My parents weren't around much when I started this whole thing, and when my Dad came home finally, he nearly smothered me. I even had to stop doing the hero thing for a while when he found out. Threatened to reveal who Batman was." A shrug. "It got better when Gotham got wrecked and he let me out to do the Robin thing again." You know, discounting the fact that it was two days after his doing so that his father died for it.

          This wasn’t making her feel any better. Sure, she didn’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend to lose, but she did have Olive. Her Olive. She didn’t trust the Gotham heroes, not even Robin fully. But Maps was sure she could protect Olive better if she knew how to fight, if she could be a hero. As for the rest of the Detective Club, she doubted this would bother any of them too much...except Kyle. Kyle would have a heart attack the moment he thought about his baby sister swinging from rooftops and fighting killers. “You have other family though right? Isn’t Damian like your little brother or something? I mean, there’s a reason people call the Gotham heroes the Bat _fam_.”

          Tim chuckled again. "We're not related by blood or anything. I was adopted into the family. So was Red Hood, Nightwing, All three Batgirls. The only family I ever had were my parents and the housekeeper we had before my dad got kicked out of his own company."

          Adopted...Maps paused, counting on her fingers as she tried to recall the tabloid covers she used to read while waiting for her mom to pay at the grocery store. Damian was the youngest, before him there was two boys adopted, one of which died, and then there was the one he never actually adopted but looked after. So that made Red Robin either Dick Grayson or Tim Drake-Wayne and considering his lack of attractive posterior- “Wait-...You’re Tim Drake!” The fact that it had taken her this long was infuriating. “You have to be because Bruce Wayne has only adopted three boys and there was a fourth that was his ward. So you’re not Damian, you can’t be Jason because obviously you’re not dead, and you don’t-” She paused again, wondering if “doesn’t have a good ass” was good enough evidence or if it would just offend him. “Well, you don’t uh...well let’s just say I’ve ruled out Dick Grayson for reasons.”

          That made him laugh. "Yeah. First, I'm not old enough to be Dick. Second, there is no way my ass is that good." He let his laughter subside slightly before continuing. "Quick thinking, though. Well done." He had to bite his tongue about Jason, though. She'd find that out soon enough. "Anything else you want to know about what you can expect when dealing with civilian life?"

          “What do I do if Olive or my brother do find out?” Both of them would freak for entirely different reasons. Kyle because he’d worry himself sick and Olive because...well let’s just say she doesn’t hold a lot of love for the Batfam.

          "That depends entirely on them. You can lie and tell them you'll stop. You can tell the truth, and tell them you'll stop. You can convince them to keep your secret and let you do this..." He trailed off. "There's no real way to prepare yourself for that eventuality. Just hope they don't try and break down the door to Wayne Manor like my dad did. I swear, it looked like he was going to shoot Bruce."

          “Well, I don’t think they’ll know Mr. Wayne is Batman even if they find out I’ve started being a hero. They might suspect Damian though…” She sighed. Day two and she was already in a tangle of lies. “I guess I’ll have to burn that bridge when I come to it.” Or was the saying “cross” the bridge? Oh well, what she said sounded way more accurate.

          Tim quickly finished whatever it was he was doing on the computer before standing up with a stretch. “It’s almost two in the morning. You need to be getting back to campus.”

          “Can I drive?”

          “No.”

          Maps pouted, dramatically falling into the passenger seat of the Red Bird. “You’re no fun.”

          That at least got a laugh out of him. “I never am.”


	5. Chapter 5

_ June 1st, 2018 Gotham City _

 

          Summer came a lot quicker than Maps was expecting. Before she knew it her mom was helping her pack for “summer camp” and she was being picked up by Damian and his brother, Tim, who had been nice enough to offer to drive her to the bus. Her parents bought it hook line and sinker. She felt awful, her stomach turning as they pulled away from her house.

          “Now there’s a face I have never seen on you.” Damian noted. “Normally you’re a lot happier about going on adventures.”

          "Oh! I am! Happy...I mean…” Maps found herself rambling, unsure how else to answer his comment. “I just feel a little guilty is all. I’m not used to lying to my parents about big things like this.”

          "It doesn't get any easier, believe me.” Tim told her. “You're going to find a day where you just want to crumple and tell them everything. And you're going to have to fight that urge with everything you've got."

          “That’s, uh...not exactly a great pep talk.”

          “It wasn’t supposed to be.” He admitted. “Maps, you’re not going off to band camp or something. You’re going to be spending the entire summer training to fight some of the worst people Gotham has. I’m not going to sugar coat this for you.”

          “I know, I know. It’s just new.” She sighed. “I’ll deal.” And now to force a change in subject before either of them feel the need to doubt that statement. “So why are you here, Damian?”

          “I get the pleasure of splitting my summer between helping you train and keeping my Titans in line.”

          “He says as though he’s the leader of his Titans.” Tim smirked, poking fun at his little brother.

          “Technically, Nobody is the leader.”

          “There’s not a leader? That’s actually kinda cool.”

          “No, he means the hero called Nobody. He was just hoping you’d misunderstand.”

          “You can stop helping now, Drake.” Damian growled.

          “Nah, it’s too much fun messing with you.”

          “Well, I’m happy to have you here.” Maps smiled at Damian. “Who better to train with than the two best Robins?”

          Damian turned to Tim. “I didn’t know Grayson was joining us.”

          “No, obviously she means me and Jay.”

          “Please. Easy-to-kill and easy-to-forget? You two are the worst Robins.”

          “Slow down there, easier-to-kill.”

          Maps watched the two bicker, quietly giggling to herself. The scene was at least distracting her from the guilt gnawing at her stomach until they arrived at the Robin’s Nest and she had to get out to go and unpack.

          “Alright, this is the plan for today.” Tim said as he helped her get her bag out. “You’re gonna get unpacked upstairs, if you’re hungry there’s food in the kitchen, help yourself, and then we’re gonna get started.”

          “Sounds good. Lead the way.”

          The room Tim was letting her use was larger than she was used to. Then again, her dorm at school was basically a closet and her room back home was so cluttered it might as well be a closet. Not here, not only was it huge, it was also neat. Not a single speck of dust was in sight. She wondered if the entire place was like this. A step into the kitchen gave her the answer. The rest of the place was an absolute wreck. She wondered why anyone needed to own that many coffee mugs, or why they all happened to be dirty, not to mention the Monster cans sitting around in piles. How could anyone live like this? Maps was appalled, which was saying a lot considering she once put off doing laundry for an entire year.

          At least there was actual food in the refrigerator. She had just managed to make herself a bowl of cereal when Tim and Damian came into the room, bickering like only brothers could.

          “I’m telling you the best way to start her out is by training her in combat.” Damian argued.

          “No, we need to train her endurance first so she can actually keep up with us on the sparring floor.”

          “She’s not going to keep up with us regardless. She can build endurance  _ while _ we train her combat skills.”

          Maps sat at the kitchen bar, watching them bicker as she munched on her cereal. She recognized the dynamic from Pom and Olive. They pretended to hate each other but she had a talent of reading past it. She was 98% certain that the insults only went skin deep.  
Tim finally looked over at her. “Which would you rather?”

          Maps put her spoon down as she took an extra long moment to consider. On one hand, Tim was her mentor and she trusted his opinion. On the other hand, learning how to punch and kick like a pro was far too tempting. Besides, most of what they had been doing so far was endurance training. A change of pace wouldn’t be the worst things. “Combat training?” She said, unsure if Tim would be okay with that decision.

          Other than a groan there was no negative reaction. Damian, however, got a grin on his face at Tim’s defeat. “Wise choice.” He nodded.

          “Yeah, sure, if we want her covered in bruises by the end of the week.” Tim rolled his eyes. “But fine. You two head down and get started. I have some work I need to do as Tim Drake before I join you.”

          Maps quickly scarfed down the rest of her cereal before jumping from the bar stool and going to join Damian who was already heading for the entrance to the Robin’s Nest. She skipped after him, humming to herself until they reached the training mat.

          “So, what’re you going to show me first?” She was nearly bouncing with excitement. “Flip kicks? How to break a board? How to knock a guy out with a single punch?”

          “What?” Damian looked at her like she was crazy. “No. I’m going to show you how not to get knocked down.” I was the most basic of the basics. Maps was a little disappointed but didn’t argue as Damian took a stance to show her. “This is called a fore balance. You want to be wide and low to the ground. You want your front foot forward and bent at the knee and your back foot behind you and nearly straight.”

          “I can’t do anything straight, Damian, you know this.”

          Damian looked unamused by the joke, ignored it, and continued the lesson. “Just remember to stay low to the ground.”

          Maps did as he instructed, or at least was trying to as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. This wasn’t what she thought Damian meant when he said combat training. “This doesn’t feel very balanced.”

          Damian watched her, using his own foot to reposition hers until she was in the right position. “Believe me, done right you’re a lot more balanced like this than you would be just standing there. This stance is also useful because you can attack from it as well and-” He paused as Maps yawned- “I’m sorry, am I boring you?”

          “No!” She insisted, but Damian wasn’t buying it. “Okay, maybe just a little.”

          “It’s the basics, Maps. I’m teaching you stuff I learned when I was three.” He rolled his eyes. “This isn’t going to get interesting for a while.”

          “Can’t you at least teach me how to block a hit or something?”

          Damian considered for a moment; and then, before Maps could blink, his fist stopped right in front of her nose.

          “Hey!” She winced as he flicked her nose.

          “Step one to blocking is keeping your hands up and ready to block.”

          “You didn’t warn me!”

          “Neither will someone like Joker or Ivy!”

          “You’re not Joker or Ivy!”

          “You should still be prepared! You never know when someone you trust might attack you!”

          “Why would I have to do that?” Maps didn’t like the idea of not being able to trust anyone. She loved her friends, all of them, including Damian. She had to be able to trust them all.

          “What’s all the yelling?” Tim came strolling into the room, mug of coffee in his hand.

          “Damian is saying I can’t trust anyone.”

          “No. I’m saying that people you do trust might attack you. And this argument wouldn’t even be happening if you weren’t pushing to breeze past the basics. I was just trying to teach you a lesson.”

          “He’s not wrong.” Tim noted with a long drink of his coffee, causing Maps to turn to him with a shocked and horrified look.

          “Why would someone I trust attack me?”

          “Robots.” Tim started.

          “Mind control.” Damian joined.

          “Villain manipulation.”

          “Evil clone.”

          “Magic.”

          “Shapeshifting.”

          “Double agent.”

          “Secret undercover work.”

          “Or maybe they’re just really mad at you that day.” Tim finished.

          Maps could feel her head spinning, and then Damian added one more reason; meeting her eye as he did. “Possession.”

          “That’s not fair.” She frowned at him. “Olive is better now.”

          “For now. But you only sealed Calamity away. She could still return.”

          “She won’t.”

          “You don’t know that. You need to be prepared.” He wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings. He just wasn’t in a hurry to see his friend burn to death. He lived through too many betrayals to ever want her to face the same.

Maps didn’t like anything they were telling her. She didn’t like it one bit. She could trust people. Olive was her friend. She didn’t want to ever lose trust in her again. 

          Tim sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re not saying you can’t trust people. In this line of work you  _ need _ to trust people. But, you also need to realize that villains aren’t going to think twice about turning those people against you. If you become a threat to them and their plans they’re use whatever they can to take you down. Friends, family, even your own inner demons. The best thing you can do is be prepared.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the next chapter is actually going to be over on my Teen Titans: Young, Wild, and Dangerous fic and there's going to be a small time skip.


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